Photo Credit: Bloomberg

Engaging the audience at the Global Business Forum special luncheon today with his open, powerful and humorous American drawl, he began by turning the room’s attention to the extreme north of the globe - the Arctic Ocean. 

“Perhaps you’ve seen the reports as they’ve been mentioned from time to time in the last few weeks. When I first started studying this issue, a few scientists were a little bit concerned that the Arctic might be at risk.”

With the unprecedented rapid rate at which the Arctic ice has been melting in the past three weeks, Gore explained, “In only 6 days an area the size of the US state of Florida disappeared. In the week before that an area almost twice the size of Britain disappeared. It was 30 years ago that the North Polar ice cap was the size of roughly, the lower 48 states of the United States (exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii).

“Now, it is less than everything west of the Mississippi River and it’s 20 per cent lower in volume than the previous record. Melting 10 times faster than previously recorded because of course, when the ice melts, the ocean water absorbs a lot more heat and it speeds up the process,” he said.

The urgency of the climate crisis was brought to light in a sobering manner by the Former Vice President.

“Based on this new measurement, just in the last 2 weeks the experts are now saying if we don’t act with urgency and dispatch, the higher north polar ice cap could be completely gone in less than 23 years,” Gore said.

Gore expressed the difficulties in the environmental ambassador role he has adopted. “Scientific realities are not easily expressed in lay language. For 30 years I’ve tried to play some useful role in trying to bridge that gap. I’ve said before I feel like I’ve failed in that goal, but I’m not finished yet,” he laughed.

However, his tone became serious again when his focus turned to the future. “To every human being in the next generation and the one beyond that, and all of those that follow, are in harm’s way. It’s up to us to stop it from happening.

“I always assumed this thing would be dealt with, but it hasn’t been. We don’t have much time,” Gore said. 

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